PM

The Defence Minister says the fight to retake Mosul from Islamic State is slowly being won. Marise Payne says the Australian military is also involved in stemming the flow of money to terrorism by intercepting boats laden with drugs.

A meal made of meat off-cuts, weeds and insects might not sound like everyone's idea of a gourmet culinary experience. But according to one Melbourne chef, it could very well make up a large part of our diet in 50 years' time. He's hoping to drive positive change in the way people think about eating by treating diners to his vision for a Utopian food future.

The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister is calling on the Queensland Premier to intervene in the case of a terminally ill indigenous man sentenced to 15 months in prison. The 48-year-old Northern Territory man was given the prison term for driving offences in Mount Isa despite having a prognosis of six months to live.

The Victorian Government has announced 150 state public service jobs will be relocated to the Latrobe Valley and another 150 created there. A local community group is pleased with the announcement but isn't sure the jobs will help those made redundant by the recent closure of the Hazelwood power station and young jobseekers.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Northern Territory has recorded negative population growth. The NT Government says its plan to fix the declining population is simple: to provide more jobs through its $1.75 billion in infrastructure spending. But that's at odds with population demographers from Charles Darwin University's Northern Institute, who say major infrastructure projects do little for long-term growth.

People are becoming addicted to the internet, the biggest problem areas are gaming, pornography, social media, and gaming. Treatment involves methods similar to drug and alcohol addictions, learning to control impulses and changing behaviour.

The Federal Government has announced a revised funding model for schools. It says it's injecting a record amount of money into the sector over the next ten years. But Labor is accusing the Government of using the announcement to cover up a funding cut.

24 private schools will be hit with a funding cut under the Coalition's plan. The Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham held a brief meeting with independent schools' representatives this afternoon. It's been described as positive but those in the room weren't told which schools will lose money.

Adrian Piccoli was the Education Minister in the New South Wales coalition government when David Gonski was handed down in 2011. He speaks to PM about the latest school funding plan proposed by the Federal Government.

Regional universities say the Federal Government has not justified why further cuts to the sector are warranted, but has welcomed other elements of a tertiary funding package announced yesterday.